Rights inquiry to question Gen. Wiranto on Friday
JAKARTA (JP): The government-sanctioned commission of inquiry into human rights abuses in East Timor (KPP HAM) will question former military chief Gen. Wiranto on Friday about violence in the territory after the Aug. 30 self-determination referendum there, a military officer said on Thursday.
Chief of the military prosecutor's office Maj. Gen. Timor P. Manurung told The Jakarta Post Wiranto, who is now coordinating minister for political affairs and security, "seems to be able to answer the summons from KPP HAM at two p.m. on Friday".
"According to the new schedule from KPP HAM, he (Wiranto) was actually going to be questioned next Tuesday, but he said the sooner the better," Timor said.
Wiranto failed to appear before KPP HAM for questioning on Wednesday, saying he needed more time to prepare his testimony.
Wiranto is one of several senior military officers due to be questioned by the inquiry in the coming weeks. All of the officers were connected to or responsible for overseeing security in East Timor following the Aug. 30 ballot.
The other officers due for questioning are Lt. Gen. Johny Lumintang, Maj. Gen. Zacky Anwar Makarim, Maj. Gen. Adam Damiri, Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Brig. Gen. Tono Suratman, Brig. Gen. Glen Kairupan and police Brig. Gen. Timbul Silaen.
Timor was speaking after accompanying the former commander of the Tribuana Intelligence Task Force in East Timor, Lt. Col. Yayat Sudrajat from the Army's Special Force (Kopassus), to his questioning by KPP HAM on Thursday.
Timor later said Johny, who was the Army's deputy chief of staff at the time the self-determination referendum was held in East Timor, would also be questioned late Thursday.
"Pak Johny is actually scheduled to be questioned on Monday, but he said that he will leave for the Christmas holiday on Friday, so the schedule has been moved forward," Timor said.
He added that he hoped the questioning of the other generals would be completed by Dec. 31.
Earlier in the day, Eurico Guterres, leader of the Aitarak pro-Indonesia militia group admitted his group and several other prointegration militias engaged in acts of destruction, but contended they were not acting on orders from the military.
Eurico defended the actions, saying many people were angry at losing the August ballot and spontaneously went on a rampage.
He did not detail to what extent the militias were responsible for the violence and damage in East Timor.
"We burned down our own houses because we were angry the proindependence supporters won the ballot unfairly," he told journalists. "But we were never trained by the military."
The militias have been accused of wanton violence and destruction after the East Timorese overwhelmingly rejected wide-ranging autonomy under the Indonesian government, a result which was tantamount to a vote for independence.
UN officials and KPP HAM members have accused the military of establishing and equipping the militias and then turning a blind eye to their violence.
Eurico, who failed to appear before KPP HAM on Wednesday, claimed he was never summoned by the commission.
KPP HAM secretary Asmara Nababan later confirmed Eurico was not directly summoned, but noted that the commission had asked Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono to ensure the militia leader would appear before the panel to answer questions. (byg/emf)